Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-11
rup puuMoND DIsPATCH- SUNDAY SEPTEMBER H. 1887

the most innocent OF the little squads
know il. are questions which she herself
could not answer. She does not look
altogether happy. Nobody ever is who
wears mask,
The Little Widow is in her glory to-
night. She is not very old in widow
hood, for the moisture OF the tears that
have not quite ceased falling makes
her eve humid and brilliant. She has
an adorer to her taste, and the subdued
coauetry Of grief that she displays is
a delicate study. The suggestiveness
of her black gauze dress brings family
into view q white-marble tomb in the
distance behind her, vague and grow
ing wagner like the background OF
fading photograph. She has a lady
friend beside her to help the converse
ton, partly for appearances, partly be-
cause she knows that three people can
talk much better than two during
the early stages Of her acquaintance
with him. Her signs are tenderly
managed Her far-away look at times
would indicate that she IS gazing across
the swift and silent tide that flows
ceaselessly along the dark, dim walls OF
the world to a gentleman whom she
knew quite well, who is sitting lone
somely among the asphOdels on the
other bank holding bouquet OF scent
less immortelles to nose that does not
smell. She is not gazing there, how
ever. She has grown little near
sighted on his account, or she would
not tonight be smiling at the gentle
man whom, if the sowing seed bears
fruit, she will one day be reminding OF
those many virtues in his predecessor
which she never discovered till she
found them in the epitaph. She should
cherish the memory and conserve the
grief rs long as possible, howeyer, for
grief is a wonderful by-path 70 manly
sympathy, and there is no female jewel
in all the catalogue at Tiffany one half
as effective as her eyelid's trembling
tear.
THE ENGAGED COUPLE
are sweetly contented. They are sitting
together on q tCtc-a-tctc and are talking
in that low, confidential way which has
characterized them all the day The
average young lady in the South takes
an engagement quite rs n matter OF
course and q disengagement with equll
calmness. Some of them here would
have difficulty in telling Just who they
are engaged to at present, and are IN
imminent need of a set Of dOuble-entry
books for their love affairs. This u n
real engagement, however, for ever
since they breakfasted side by side and
absorbed wheat cakes in sweet sympa-
thy, with maple syrup on their tongues,
they have been together. lie ought TO
know her face by heart by this time
and she his, but they keep on
gazing with an ursatisfied Curl
osity. "Whon we are married, "
ne says now and then, and hats
a little, while she reddens slightly but
looks much more unconcerned than an
unconcerned person ever could. They
have not gotten quite used 10 it yet,
] but he likes TO say it, and they are
making all sorts OF plans, which will
I give place to an entirely different set OF
plans when they get located in the new
| State to which they are immigratIng
Andrew Carnegie wrote that the reason
our air castles are never realized is that
before we reach them we have bIilled
other and higher ones beyond, aud for
g(t the old ones attained in gazing Mt
the new ones asar. lie ought to mark
q copy and send it to the engaged con-
| pie. The country needs q sentimental
geography and a set OF matrimonial
Giants IuSt now, and all contributions
TO the work would be OF practical value.
TIE BRIDE AND GROOM
They are much more at ease than the
! llide and Groom, however Hc IS q
lIushiug boy of forty-tiye, and beans
rudduy in his happiness with 'le open
frankntss OF a sentimental Jack-O'lan-
tern. She is somewhat i'll at ease. how
ever. and her mouth curves downward
1T the corners. Her fron;let curls a
little spitefully, and she has the air OF
one to whom the lazy languors OF matrl-
mony were ~ unexpected Heaven-sent
relief from the daily duty Of composing
mutton hash and ropelling the en-
croachmcnts of houseiul of borders.
Her fine clothes DO not hang very well,
and certain portions of her figure have
apparently not all the rcundness that
nature designed and the Biodisic
supposed, so she consequently has
a sort of misfit air that troubles her
and makes her suspicious Of hidden
ridicule. At the table she pecks her
food at thoughtful intervals and looks
cautiously about her between each pair
of pecks, like hen that is i'll at ease.
She sees everything that is going on,
which is fortunate, for he sees nothing
but her. How he happened to find her
in the social grabbing is one OF the
many mysteries, for not one man in
million would have kept the prize after
unwrapping it. Perhaps the Hand that
wrought Eve for Adam guided the
blushing bridegroom TO his seyen-dol-
lar-a-woek Eden, for Adam was GER
tainly not happier nor Eve more sur
prised at the development of affairs.
There was q man once who knew
everything who wrote, "All the worlds
a stage, and all the men and women
merely players" lie probably wrote
it in the parlor Of n watering-plAce no.
tel.